BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 20, 2023) -- The Morgan State wrestling team hosted a couple of solid programs Wednesday as Hofstra and Bloomsburg came to Hill Field House for a tri-match.
The Bears began the afternoon with a 37-3 loss to the Pride. The first five matches went Hofstra's way before senior Jacob Marsh got Morgan on the board, winning the 165-pound bout against Joe McGinty, 7-3.
Hofstra finished off the match by taking the final four matches, punctuated when No. 21-ranked Keaton Kluever pinned freshman Tyler Stewart for a win in the 285-pound bout.
Morgan State 3, Hofstra 37
Dec. 20, 2023 | Baltimore, Md. | Hill Field House
125 - Dylan Acevedo (HOF) over Julian Dawson (MSU): 16-6 MD
133 - Dylan Ryder (HOF) over Kevin Lopez (MSU): 15-0 TF
141 - Alex Turley (HOF) over Tommy Fiero (MSU): 11-3 Dec
149 - Noah Tapia (HOF) over Aaron Turner (MSU): 11-1 MD
157 - Jurius Clark (HOF) over Josh Greenwood (MSU): 14-1 MD
165 - Jake Marsh (MSU) over Joe McGinty (HOF): 7-3 Dec
174 - Ross McFarland (HOF) over Kyle Grey (MSU): 6-0 Dec
184 - Will Conlon (HOF) over Kingsley Menifee (MSU): 6-4 Dec
197 - Nik Miller (HOF) over Nathanic Kendricks (MSU): 13-2 MD
285 - #21 Keaton Kluever (HOF) over Tyler Stewart (MSU): Fall
Morgan had a tough go in the finale, losing 29-8 to the Bloomsburg Huskies. After dropping the first bout as a result of a technical fall, the Bears got on the scoreboard at 133. During the first period, Kevin Lopez scored a takedown on Major Lewis and maintained the momentum throughout the match. Lopez scored on a pair leg takedowns in the third period and held on to win a 13-6 decision.
The Huskies responded by winning the next five matches, capped by Caden Dobbins win over Shamus MacIntosh by technical fall at 165.
At 184 pounds, Kingsley Menifee was victorious over Tanner Culver by a 10-2 major decision.
Nathanic Kendricks had a tough battle against Bloomsburg's David Tuttle in the 197 bout. Tuttle opened the match with a 6-0 lead before Kendricks scored on a reversal to trim the lead to 6-2. After Kendrick scored on another reversal, Tuttle's lead was trimmed to 9-6 late in the second period. It ended up being an 11-8 victory for Tuttle in the third period when he scored on an escape.
Morgan State 8, Bloomsburg 29
Dec. 20, 2023 | Baltimore, Md. | Hill Field House
125 - Bronson Garber (BLM) over Julian Dawson (MSU): 16-1 TF
133 - Kevin Lopez (MSU) over Major Lewis (BLM): 13-6 Dec
141 - Michael Cassidy (BLM) over Tommy Fiero (MSU): 10-3 Dec
149 - Cade Balestini (BLM) over Aaron Turner (MSU): 21-3 TF
157 - William Morrow (BLM) over Josh Greenwood (MSU): 11-2 Dec
165 - Caden Dobbins (BLM) over Shamus MacIntosh (MSU): 16-0 TF
174 - Josh Bonomo (BLM) over Kyle Grey (MSU): 9-4 Dec
184 - Kingsley Menifee (MSU) over Tanner Culver (BLM): 10-2 MD
197 - David Tuttle (BLM) over Nathanic Kendricks (MSU): 11-8 Dec
285 - Tyler McCatharn (BLM) over Tyler Stewart (MSU): 16-0 TF
QUOTABLE
"For our first match, I was not too pleased with our performance," said Morgan head coach Kenny Monday. "I don't think the guys gave the effort that I wanted to them give. They came out flat." "I don't know if they were thinking about the holidays, because everyone goes home now and they're ready to have a break. But it's been a pretty tough first semester. I just don't think we were at our potential during that first match."
"The second match we had a little more energy and a little more focus. I think we wrestled better during the second match. But we have a lot of work to do."
UP NEXT
Morgan's wrestling team will compete at the Bobby Kauffman Open on Sunday, January 7th in Edinboro, Pa.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
